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Fault identification and geology

A fracture or zone of fractures in the Earth's crust along which there has been measurable displacement of the rocks on either side. Faults are classified by the relative direction of movement: normal faults extensional , reverse or thrust faults compressional , and strike-slip or transform faults lateral . The fault plane separates the hanging wall above from the footwall below in dip-slip faults. Field: structural geology. Example: The San Andreas Fault in California is a right-lateral strike-slip fault marking the transform boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, with a cumulative displacement of approximately 300 km.. Related terms: Normal fault, Reverse fault, Strike-slip fault, Hanging wall.

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:41.999576+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Fault mean in geology?
A fracture or zone of fractures in the Earth's crust along which there has been measurable displacement of the rocks on either side. Faults are classified by the relative direction of movement: normal faults extensional , reverse or thrust faults compressional , and strike-slip or transform faults lateral . The fault plane separates the hanging wall above from the footwall below in dip-slip faults.
What is an example of Fault?
The San Andreas Fault in California is a right-lateral strike-slip fault marking the transform boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, with a cumulative displacement of approximately 300 km.
Which earth-science field uses the term Fault?
Fault is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Fault?
Related terms in this reference are Normal fault, Reverse fault, Strike-slip fault, Hanging wall.

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